The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-02-15
REFORM WITHIN THE PARTY.
Senator Harrison's Brief Speech Before the
New York Renuhlican Climb

SENATOR Harrfson'S Brief Speech Before the
New York Republican Club.
At the dinner given by the New York Repub-
icsn Club on Saturday night Senator Harrison
spoke in response to the toast. reform of the
Party Within the Party" When the chairman
introduced the Senator as .'the hero of a mag
nifcent contest" and said he would respond to
the toast, Reform of the Party Within the
Party" somebody remarked: I'VE don't need
any, which provoked uproarious mirth. Sena-
tor Harrison said:
'Some bright member here has made my
speech for me. There has been some strange
incongruity in the placing of these toast onight
A voice: We are inexperienced. 1t is not
pleasant assignment to follow the magnificent
speech in behalf of the Repu bcan party, detail
ing its achievements, bringing to our recollection
the brilliant prthway in which it has walked,
with the suggestion that there is to be some re-
form within it. / suppose the suggestion is
hypothetical in its character. 1t was meant to
bring to our attention Tonight suggestion that
when the Republican party needs reforming we
will do it ourselves. [Applause.] A voice: And
we won't have the mugwumps.'l 1t is question
that we have not debated in Indiana. Laugh
ter and applause. l am, therefore, unfamiliar
with the arguments by which it should be sup
ported.
II must appeal, not to experience, but to philos
ophy, to defend the suggestion Of my toast
suppose it must be some question of table man.
ners in the Republican party that is giving some
BODY some trouble daughter Nothing more
serious than that And If that be true. then
suggest that the instructor who would reform
our table manners must belong to the household.
Cries of 'Good.1 The unfriendly criticisms of
the man across the street will not be accepted.
Or, it may be that somebody is disconnected
with our tactics. If 80. / suggest that be will
not promote that reform by deserving to the en-
envy Applause. He loses the point of inf1u-
euce when he does SO. General Hawiey: De-
cdedly.' Laughter He may, from his new DC
sition, kill and destroy, but he cannot promote
reform in tactics
''If there are barnacles on the old ship it is
pooc policy to scuttle her. fApplausel Let us
put her in the dry-dock and scrape her hull Or
better still. take her into fresh water, and these
impedments will drop off of themselves lap.
plausel. and the good old ship will vet show her
heels again to the pirates who are pursu-
ing her Applause. The man who thanks
God that he is not as other men are
has lost the power of persuasion. Applause
He can't draw. And therefore it is that the re-
form of the Republican party must come from
men who believe in It. Cries of 'Good1 Who
believe in its history, who believe in its power of
growth and development to throw off, not by the
looping of the ak, but by the inherent power of
to it that Is unseemly or unslghtly lCries of
'Good'l The man who would lift must put his
shoulder under the load and not reach down his
dainty and hesitating fingers toward the load. as
some Republicans seem to have thought was the
right policy in these latter years. The great
body of the Republican party has always be-
lieved in pure methods and in pure men. APP
plause. 1t only needs everywhere that its
primaries shall be open to all it's voters 1t only
needs that every Republican in those founda-
tions of political influence and action shall be
its nominations an individual influence tCries
of Good m